Class
Article
College
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
Department
English Department
Faculty Mentor
Dave Bolton
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
This is a pilot study to determine a new method to assess response inhibition in a reactive balance context. Our aim is to create a method for assessing inhibition of a balance recovery step similar to past cognitive neuroscience research where button press responses in seated participants are used. A total of 17 young adults (18-30 years) were recruited for testing using the ReacStick and lean & release system in which participants were placed in a harness connected by a support cable to the wall behind them and another failsafe cable attached from the ceiling. Participants leaned into the support cable while keeping both feet in contact with the floor. On most trials (80%), participants were required to take a rapid step forward when released from the support cable fixed to a magnet on the back wall. However, on some (20%) of trials, a leg block was visible within -25 to 400 ms of the cable release instructing them to suppress a step, instead letting themselves fall into a secondary ‘catch’ cable (fixed to the back wall). This ratio (80/20) was intended to bias a step, forcing participants to suppress an automated step when blocked. Force plate data offers sensitive behavioral measures of response inhibition in a postural context that can be related to underlying neural mechanisms. Ground reaction forces were collected using force plates under each foot to detect postural shifts leading to step errors. Stopping success was captured by (a) lift off from force plate, and (b) postural shifts on force plates. Behavioral data was analyzed via a custom written LabView software. Preliminary results suggest that stopping ability measured in the balance recovery task has a positive, strong correlation with stopping ability measured on the ReacStick. Step errors expressed through forces beneath the feet were used to develop a method for assessing suppression of a balance recovery step. If ReacStick and response inhibition have a strong positive correlation, then the ReacStick could be used as a surrogate.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-8-2022 12:00 AM
Included in
Developing a Novel Method for Testing Stopping Ability for Balance Recovery
Logan, UT
This is a pilot study to determine a new method to assess response inhibition in a reactive balance context. Our aim is to create a method for assessing inhibition of a balance recovery step similar to past cognitive neuroscience research where button press responses in seated participants are used. A total of 17 young adults (18-30 years) were recruited for testing using the ReacStick and lean & release system in which participants were placed in a harness connected by a support cable to the wall behind them and another failsafe cable attached from the ceiling. Participants leaned into the support cable while keeping both feet in contact with the floor. On most trials (80%), participants were required to take a rapid step forward when released from the support cable fixed to a magnet on the back wall. However, on some (20%) of trials, a leg block was visible within -25 to 400 ms of the cable release instructing them to suppress a step, instead letting themselves fall into a secondary ‘catch’ cable (fixed to the back wall). This ratio (80/20) was intended to bias a step, forcing participants to suppress an automated step when blocked. Force plate data offers sensitive behavioral measures of response inhibition in a postural context that can be related to underlying neural mechanisms. Ground reaction forces were collected using force plates under each foot to detect postural shifts leading to step errors. Stopping success was captured by (a) lift off from force plate, and (b) postural shifts on force plates. Behavioral data was analyzed via a custom written LabView software. Preliminary results suggest that stopping ability measured in the balance recovery task has a positive, strong correlation with stopping ability measured on the ReacStick. Step errors expressed through forces beneath the feet were used to develop a method for assessing suppression of a balance recovery step. If ReacStick and response inhibition have a strong positive correlation, then the ReacStick could be used as a surrogate.